Chicago lawyer Howard Foster's class-action lawsuit in U.S. District Court Wednesday seeks a return of all the money the Peoria Republican collected for congressional races. Schock resigned in March after questions about his spending and alleged improper mileage reimbursements.

Richard Hasen is a law professor at the University of California-Irvine. He doesn't recall ever seeing such a lawsuit. He says a political contribution is considered a gift and givers have little say over how their generosity is used.

And Hasen says the money went to campaign committees, not the candidate. The lawsuit addresses that by declaring Schock directed those committees and signed fundraising letters.